Rumpke gets nod as trash collector
- Published: August 4, 2011
Yellow Springs Village Council decided at its July 18 meeting that if “it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” regarding the hiring of a contractor for solid waste pickup. While the national company Waste Management had submitted a bid just slightly lower than that submitted by Rumpke, Council members ultimately agreed that 20 years of good experience with Rumpke trumped the minor cost difference.
Villagers would pay about $5.50 a year less with the Waste Management bid in 2011, and the cost difference would lessen over the next two years to only pennies per month. Regarding cost to the Village of downtown trash pickup, Waste Management submitted a bid about $183 less than Rumpke in 2011, declining to $75 less in 2013.
The two companies also differed in their pickup schedule. While Rumpke currently picks up in Yellow Springs four days a week and would continue that schedule, Waste Management would only pick up on a single day.
In his recommendation to Council, Village Manager Mark Cundiff stated that while Rumpke had the advantage of being familiar to villagers, he recommended changing to Waste Management due to the lower cost.
But Council members disagreed. Having spoken to about 15 villagers about the issue, and hearing that all favored continuing with Rumpke given the small price difference, Karen Wintrow stated that she did not support changing contractors. Lori Askeland agreed, saying she had spoken with almost 10 villagers, of whom only one suggested making the change.
After discussion, Council members requested that Cundiff bring to its Aug. 1 Council meeting legislation for rehiring Rumpke. They will vote at that time.
In other Village business:
• Village Finance Director Sharon Potter explained to Council the need for supplemental appropriations to the Village 2011 budget in the amount of $410,926, which was passed as an emergency measure.
Most of the appropriations were accounting oversights rather than new expenditures, according to Potter, and the largest addition of about $180,000 was an amount that had been omitted from the 2011 budget for trash pickup.
The most significant new expense in the emergency measure was the $30,000 loan to Creative Memories that Council approved that night in a move to keep local business e-Health Data Solutions in town as well as provide more office space for business.
Council President Judith Hempfling encouraged Potter to in the future bring supplemental appropriations ordinances to Council early enough that they don’t have to be passed as emergency legislation. Non-emergency ordinances require two Council votes, which gives citizens time to express their concerns and opinions, something Hempfling said she wants to encourage regarding budget issues.
Potter stated that because bills need to be paid, it’s often difficult to have more lead time regarding supplemental appropriations to the budget. However, Cundiff said that Village staff will do its best to be more timely in the future.
• Council unanimously passed the second reading of an ordinance to limit the location of Internet sweepstakes cafes to the general business district in the south end of town, rather than allowing prospective Internet sweepstakes businesses downtown.
• Council approved the transfer and sale of a small slice of Village-owned land that abuts Peach’s to that business. The land was appraised at $600, and the business had already spent more than twice that amount surveying the land, which also benefited the Village, Cundiff said, explaining why the Village had chosen to gift the land to Peach’s. The gesture is also a token of support for local business, Cundiff said.
• Council’s next regular meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, at Council chambers in the Bryan Community Center.
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